The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay The glory that was Rome is of another day I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan I'm going home to my city by the Bay
I left my heart in San Francisco High on a hill, it calls to me To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care My love waits there in San Francisco Above the blue and windy sea When I come home to you, San Francisco Your golden sun will shine for me
-I left my heart in san francisco
wow this song is apt. it's been around 24 hours since i got back from SF and i feel oddly empty, like there's a gaping hole in my chest. after all, it was just about the best week i've had in the past 2 years. i left at 110pm on March 31st 2006, very eager, a little apprehensive about my competition. after the most boring flight i've ever encountered and then an even more boring transit in taipei airport we were off to san francisco. not a bad flight there, though the in flight entertainment and food was absolute bullshit. so we touched down at san fran and reached the hotel to discover that hotel brochures were highly deceiving and our room was about half the size we expected it to be, with no handphone reception whatsoever. but no matter, we were here, in san francisco, the moment we had all been waiting for for a few months. had rehearsal that night which was a bit wishy washy. dinner at burger king where the food was so huge that grace and i had to share a burger. daniel's burger was as big as his face. slept early that night in the hopes that prac the next day would go better. in the end, there was no prac so we went sightseeing a bit and climbed this unbelievably steep slope to a little dog run at the top with a fab view. came back to the hotel for soundcheck at mission dolores basilica, quite possibly the most beautiful church i've ever seen and also the coldest. competition went really well, we were in tune and in rhythm but karimatanu could have been better. but everyone seemed happy and we got some great applause and comments from the audience.
got up early for workshops with 2 out of 3 of the judges before going back to the basilica for a QnA with Chanticleer, the resident choir of the festival. they were really interesting and their musical director Joseph Jennings was one of the most interesting choral personalities ive ever seen. some people seemed to think he was arrogant, but i think his attitude oddly suited him. went for dinner at this burger joint In n Out at Fisherman's Wharf with the Tawa College Choir from New Zealand, the best choir in the competition in my opinion. and they were great people. made friends with some of them..and cheryl and i were gawking at TB every time he walked past us with his gorgeous green eyes. went back to the church after that for the select choir performance and results. AND WE GOT GOLD!! haha i was so happy i cried. no joke. and to top it all off, i was treated to a performance by Chanticleer, an all male choir who are the BEST CHOIR IN THE WORLD!! their performance was so mind-blowing, there was a 5 minute standing ovation.
after that night of just plain high-ness, we slept late but still got up early for the now predictable breakfast of scrambled eggs. saw the golden gate bridge which was beautiful and took loads of pics of it and with it. saw the 'crookedest street in the world' LOMBARD STREET after that. it was so cute but it looked so dangerous for cars. i mean, the gradient was so steep and with all these hair pin bends. i much preferred walking down it. even though it wouldnt stop raining everyday and the weather and wind was so cold, nothing could make us unhappy, and we braved the cold to get to Union Square, where we all went absolutely crazy shopping. after we discovered Old Navy, the best store i've ever seen, we spent about an hour there snapping up stuff for ourselves and other people. it was great. went back to the hotel to get ready for the festival DINNER AND DANCE at 730. the food and music and dancing was all great. i had so much fun that i was almost high when it ended at 11.
the 4th was dedicated to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, where we did even more shopping at all the street side shops and Hard Rock Cafe where we later ate lunch. Also went to Alcatraz Prison, which was historical and really interesting. I mean how many people can say that they've actually seen Al Capone's prison cell?that night the 5 of us went for dinner with my father. it was GREAT to see him again and we went to this Brazilian restaurant where the meat just kept coming and coming and coming. and when we were all stuffed, Jonathan just kept eating and eating. and my chocolate mousse came in a chocolate bowl, can you believe that??i couldnt finish it tho, it was just too much. had to pack that night as we wouldnt have time the next day, then after that spent an hour in daniel's room playing bridge and checking my email. jon was so high that night, jumping all over the place and basically cheering me cheryl and grace up in our room. he and grace even damaged our bed, which thankfully housekeeping did not notice.
our last day in san fran was spent at golden gate park, which is botanic gardens x500 in terms of size and beauty. daisies, the japanese tea garden, the flower conservatory, everything was just so pretty that i wanted to lie in the fields forever. went back to union square after that to take the cable car which was great. it's so unique to san francisco. went to barnes and nobles after that to warm up and look for my mother's magazine. later we went to union square for dinner and we finally found our ever elusive krispy kreme donuts which were so fricking fabulous that i think i could live on them. left soon after that for the airport, signalling the end of that wonderous trip and the beginning of my heartache. it was lessened slightly by the fact that they showed goblet of fire on board, but returned in full force the moment we landed in taipei.
san fran was such a great city with its own unique culture. and the perfect weather on the last day. when i heard it was 31 degrees in singapore i nearly cried. but i also learned alot about the other people in the choir. not everyone is exactly as they seem. some people are in fact nicer, and some are not. the full meaning of 'do not judge a book by its cover' hit me on this trip. but overall, it was the best time i've had in my tj years (haha tj reminds me of the funny german guy we met on our last morning...his name was seriously TJ) and i'm gonna remember it always. and even if i dont, the 100 or so pictures i took will remind me.ok the hole in my heart just twinged a bit at all these memories. but nevermind, i'm back now, in the land of chilli sauce(FINALLY!! one week without it has left me brain dead). i'm gonna study and get my As and make enough money in the future to take me back to this beautiful city by the bay. and just for interest's sake, my nephew's name is Nikhil Shyam Dinesh. nice... |
